Oita City and Beppu, Kyushu, Japan
(May 2024)
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Oita City and Beppu are the two largest cities of the Oita Prefecture in
northeastern Kyushu. While Oita City is the capital of the prefecture, Beppu is
regarded as the de facto ″onsen capital″ of Japan. Since I used
them as bases for reaching more interesting places, I ended up spending some
time in each of them. They both proved to be surprisingly pleasant cities, each
in a different way. Oita City is mostly quiet, with a countryside feel and an
attractive concentration of izakayas (casual restaurants/bars) and shops north
of the station. There are also at least two small, little-known Stone Buddhas sites near the city center. The Tourist
Information Center at the Oita station was extremely helpful in planning some
of my excursions, especially the one to the Kunisaki peninsula. Beppu is a more
vibrant town, with a modern urban look and many more visitors. Its so-called ″hells″
(or ″jigoku″, the term for hell in Japanese Buddhism) are
spectacular steaming ponds. They are worth the detour, despite being tourist
traps.
Oita City
Covered
merchant street north of the station.
Kotsukotsu-an, one of the best-known izakayas in Oita City.
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- Three of
the reconstructed turrets (yagura).
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- Covered bridge (rebuilt in the 20th century) giving access to the
castle over the moat.
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Alignments of stone statues at Enju-ji (named Iwaya-ji in 11th-century
texts), a Buddhist temple overlooking the Oita river.
Iwaya-ji Temple Stone Buddhas. Located close to Enju-ji, these stone
carvings date from the 12th century. They are in poor condition compared to
those at the other sites I visited on this trip. It is believed that the three
sculptures in the left picture depict three manifestations of Buddha,
representing the past, present, and future. The sculpture in the right photo,
with its fluid colorful drapery, represents eleven-headed Kannon. Some of the
eleven heads are partially visible atop the main head of the sculpture.
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Oita Motomachi Stone Buddhas, also located close to Enju-ji. The large (over
5 meters in height) and rather well-preserved sculpture represents a seated
Yakushi Nyorai (the Japanese name for the Medicine or Healing Buddha), a
popular manifestation of Buddha in Japan. It is characteristic of the style of
sculpture developed by Japanese artist Josho during the Heian period. To the
left of this sculpture, barely visible in the left photo below and in much
worse condition, are reliefs representing three other deities, including Fudo
Myo-o, an important figure in Japanese Buddhism. These calvings are believed to
date from in second half of the 11th century.
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Yasaka-jinja (Shinto shrine).
- Vermillion gate, decorated with painted carved wooden panels depicting
diverse scenes.
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- The shrine's honden, the kami sanctuary where the kami (gods) are
thought to live.
Various statues and Noh mask at Kongohokai-ji (Buddhist temple). The
first photo on the left below shows an ancient wooden statue of a sitting Fudo
Myo-o.
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Beppu
Beppu Tower, a 100-meter-tall lattice tower, with an observation deck at
55 meters.
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Views over Beppu from the observation deck of the Beppu Tower.
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Play of light in a bamboo grove in Beppu Park shortly before sunset.
Tengu float exposed in the covered Yayoi Tengu Street of the Motomachi
ward, south-west of the Beppu station. It represents Tengu, a popular legendary
creature, often treated (almost) as a god in Shinto. Tengu is traditionally
represented with a long, oversized nose.
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Hachiman asami-jinja.
- The haiden (worship hall).
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- The honden (kami sanctuary).
- Wood carvings adorning the exterior structures of the honden.
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Demons, steam, and mud at the Jigoku.
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- Steam at the blue and red ponds of Umi Jigoku. (Umi means Sea,)
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- Mud bubble at the Oniishi Bozu Jigoku. (Oniishi Bozu means Monk's
Head.)
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Steam rising from various onsens in northern neighborhoods of Beppu.
